Michael Jackson Tops Forbes Top Earning Dead Celebrities

Michael Jackson has once again topped Forbes’ annual list of the year’s top-earning deceased celebrities.

The late King of Pop was estimated to have accumulated $170 million in earnings over the past year. This marks the second consecutive year MJ has topped the list — between October 2010 and Oct. 2011 his estate brought in a staggering $275 million.

Aside from his storied catalog, The King of Pop’s estate also benefited from the Cirque du Soleil theatrical production ‘Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour,’ which is based on his life.

Elvis Presley’s Cirque du Soleil show ‘Viva Elvis’ helped him to second on the list with a posthumous fortune of $55 million in the past year, and the estates of Beatles legends John Lennon and George Harrison – who placed fifth and 13th respectively – also benefited from similar productions.